Video Demo Sent out to Students: https://www.tiktok.com/@teachinggrover
Dance Mimesis Project
Grade Level or Age of Participant: 12-14
School, Teacher and Classroom: Clara Barton Open School, Allison Rubin
MCAD Teaching Artist: Grover Hogan
VISUAL ARTS CONTENT OR STANDARDS
1.0.2.4.1
1. Dance
2. Create
4. Revise and complete original artistic work.
1. Respond to suggestions for changing movement in a guided improvisation.
1.1.2.4.1
1. Dance 1
2. Create
4. Revise and complete original artistic work.
1. Apply suggestions to change movement in a guided improvisation.
1.7.3.5.2
1. Dance 7
3. Perform
5. Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for performance.
2. Refine partner and ensemble skills.
For example: Focus, awareness in executing complex patterns, sequences, and formations.
OVERVIEW OF PROJECT
Students replicate a choreographed dance done by the teaching artist. However, each student will do the dance to a different song and will adjust the emotion, tone, and pace of the dance moves to correlate with the song that they chose. Students and teaching artist ideally post a video of their interpretation to the app TikTok, however YouTube, Google Drive, or any other video uploading platform will suffice.
“BIG IDEAS”/ ESSENTIAL QUESTION(S)
1. How can subtle movements and actions change tone?
2. How does dance and music influence each other?
3. What does collaboration look like, especially when that collaboration occurs in nonphysical spaces?
4. What is artistic license and appropriation?
STUDENT OUTCOME OBJECTIVES
Students will:
1. Communicate tone and voice through dance and understanding of music
2. Consider tempo and affect in dance movements affected by music
3. Build collaboration skills through a virtual space
PRIOR KNOWLEDGE
Students will need prior experience recording video with either computer, phone, etc. as well as a basic understanding of dance, music, and rhythm.
LESSON PREPARATION TIMELINE
Create Lesson Plan and Storyboard
Record Demo (1 video without music, 2 with different songs for each video, resulting in 3 videos total)
Upload all materials and send in to teacher so that class may view and recreate
Review Assessments
EXAMPLES OF ARTWORK
1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjZfuIME7vc
Keke Janajah, Video, 2020, Savage Dance Tutorial (Savage by Megan Thee Stallion, 2020)
2. https://www.tiktok.com/@yodelinghaley/video/6774888255801396486
Hayley Sharpe, Video, 2019, Say So Dance Tutorial (Say So by Doja Cat, 2019).
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdff8hycRo8
Jalaiah Harmon. Video, 2020, Renegade Dance Tutorial (Lottery (Renegade) by K CAMP, 2019)
ASSESSMENT
Students will upload their own interpretation of the dance and will be allowed to leave comments on each other’s videos, including the teaching artist’s videos. Comments cannot be deleted by the user but are monitored by the application, and any comment that uses inappropriate language will not be visible. Comments may be reported and will then be removed by the application if shown to be harassment. Positive and constructive comments will be encouraged. Students may choose to turn their comment section off if they wish.
Teaching Artist will also provide comments on student’s dances and interpretations, as both a way to set an example of how a critique should look like as well as a form of sincere critique within itself.
MATERIALS
Students will need access to an electronic device that will allow for recording and uploading. Ideally, the student would have the application TikTok. Materials will be what the student has at home.
TEACHING ARTIST DEMO
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES AND INSTRUCTION
Instructions for instructor and students
LEARNING ACTIVITIES AND TIMING
Within a shared Google Document that will go out to the class, both links to exemplar videos as well as written instructions on how to share and critique other’s videos will be provided. The following will be mentioned/ linked to in the document:
1. Teaching Artist will upload choreography to TikTok without any music, giving a slow and steady step by step instruction (approx. 30- 60 seconds)
2. In addition, an example of the dance applied to two different songs will also be uploaded (2 30-60-second-long clips)
3. Teaching Artist will ask students to leave comments and create their own video uploaded with the same hashtag (#CopyCatDanceChallenge)
4. Students will be asked to leave positive and constructive feedback on each other’s videos
TEACHING ARTIST REFLECTION
1. Students may not have access to the proper technology; need to find a way to make certain all have access to a cell phone and data
3. Students may be embarrassed to dance in front of their peers; provide a way for students to submit work to teacher and teaching artist
4. Students fun of others for what they upload off site; review protocols for feedback, social emotional learning connections